Permanent immersion style wort chiller

[hittenz]

Hello all!

This is my first post although I have looked around on this board for a year or so getting some great info, so thanks to everyone! I have what I think to be a simple question.

I have upgraded my brew system and now have a gravity style brew sculpture with 3-20 gallon pots that I just got welded up this past weekend :rockin: My question is this: Can I permantly install my chiller inside my brew pot? I have a 50ft copper line chiller that has been bent to my preference with inlet and outlet lines coming up to about 1" from the top of the pot. On the ends of the coil I have installed SS 3/8" compression fittings which have 1/2" npt males to go through the pot wall and on the outside I intend on screwing on some quick connect fittings I have aquired so I can easily connect and separate the hoses from the pots.

I know that most folks just put the chiller in for the last few minutes for sanitation but I was wondering if anyone has experience with a perm. install, if so please share and thanks to all community members!

 

[EdWort]

Sounds interesting, but I would be concerned about cleaning it and getting dried on trub from the last batch off it plus any fittings that might leak into your wort after the temp reaches the susceptible range.

 

[ikonis]

I did it before switching to a plate chiller. Worked fine once I got it to not leak.

I had some SS coil that I used.

Cleaning was no issue. Gunk and everything just rinsed off... Everynow and then I also did a PBW soak. Which of course, in aluminum, isn't ideal. But I would just boil water in it again to build up the oxidized layer again.

The thing to note, I used hose barbs. Now, if there was any water left inside when the wort came to a boil, it would boil inside the tube as well. Shooting jets of steam out. I had to cap the barbs with some silicone caps I had. Not a big issue as I ususally got every bit of water out.

 

[hittenz]

Ikonis, that is exactly what I am going for all thats left is just drilling the holes. As soon as the wort is transferred to my primary I go ahead and do a thorough washing since its much easier to clean these items while they are warm and the trub has not had a chance to dehydrate and stick which becomes a problem.

Also, I like to pretty much over fill my strike water vessel, heat it and since its gravity I just open all the valves and let it run for a couple minutes to rinse through all units.

 

[Jubilee]

Would be cool (although overkill and not cost effective) to see a double-walled boil kettle with biult-in coil and inlet/outlet.

 

[hittenz]

True, it would probably have to have some sort of viscous material surrounding the coils in between walls to get proper transfer but if I come into some Texa$ I may try it just for fun.